Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-08-17
From the Philadelphia Times.

ere. He saw Secretary Spencer's son strung
up to the yardarm in West Indian waters
for fomenting mutiny, and was on board
the Princeton in 1874 when Captain Stock
toms exploding Peacemaker killed two
Cabinet officers. The old man loves to
spin yarns of his naval adventures and he
specially delights in the details of the
Princeton disaster. He is probably the
only person left of all who were on board
the vessel on that day. All the world
knows such part of the story as history
records. The gun exploded while dis
tinguished pleasure party was on board
the ship. Secretary of State Upshur, Sec
retary of the Navy Gilmer, Captain Bev-
erly Kennon, the Hon. Virgil Maxey, just
returned from the Belgian Mission; Colo
mel David Gardner and a servant of the
President were killed, while nearly score
of others, including Senator Benton and
Captain Stockton, were injured.
the accident might easily have changed
the whole subsequent course Of American
history, for President Tyler escaped ex-
posure to danger that overlook his Cabinet
officers by the merest triviality and Mr..
Buchanan, even then a possible candidate
for the Presidency, intimates in letter to
his brother that it was only through an
oversight that he was not asked to partake
of Captain Stockton's fatal hospitality.
THE STORY OF THE PRINCETON.
Old Lawrence, sitting on his doorstep
the other night, his head enveloped in
tiphtly-drawn bandanna handkerchief and
his knees and chin but a few inches apart,
rasped out the story of the Princeton from
throat hoarse with twenty years cough:
"It was on the 29th of February, 1884,"
said the old man, land I mind it we'll, for
had son born that day. Captain Stock
ton built the Princeton on his own plan at
the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and after
she was launched helped to rig her: Then
she went round to Washington and lay at
the Navy Yard, in the Potomac: When
the 28th came she steamed down the river,
with the President, most of his Cabinet,
Young John Tyler, lot of Senators and
Representatives, dozen or two naval OF,
fcers and ever so many ladies aboard, all
the guests of Captain Stockton. There
was fiddling and flirting and dancing and
champagne drinking all the way down.
Officers on shore were mighty polite to
the wives of those that were away in the
Mediterranean or cruising with the Aslatlc
squadron, and there was no end of fun
among the young folks. The President
was merry, too, for Miss Gardner was
aboard. Her father was killed that day,
but I saw her on the Princeton again when
the vessel was off the Battery at New
York. She was Mrs. Tyler then, the wife
of the President I saw her again long
time afterward at John Tyler's home on
the James river. The ex-President show
ed me his children that day and gave me
thirteen gold dollars,
THE EXPLOSION.
"Well, they fired the Peacemaker twice
on the way down the river, and then ev-
erybody went below for dinner. There
was plenty of champagne again and the
President gave the toast, The Princeton's
three guns-the Oregon, the Peacemaker
and Captain Stockton, and the greatest OF
these is Stockton Atlast Secretary Gilmer
asked to have the Peacemaker fired again,
and some of the company followed Cap
tain Stockton on deck to see the piece
loaded. The President started up with the
rest, but turned back to hear his son-ln-
law, Mr.: Waller, sing a song. Captain
Stockton ordered Lieutenant Hunt to make
ready for firing. Old King was gunner
and Barlow was gunner's mate. They
loaded the gun with 25 pounds of powder
and 212 pound shot. She was so big that
YOU could have crawled inside of her and
had plenty of room to spare. Captain
Stockton stood nearest the gun, and the
Cabinet officers, some Senators and few
ladies were not far away. The Secretary
of War walked off before the gun was
fired. Captain Stockton called out, Stand
clear of the gum" and then she was fired.
There was an awful explosion, q cloud OF
smoke and loud scream from the wound
ed. When the smoke cleared everyone
could see that the top of the gun was
blown off from trunions to breach. ana
two dozen people were lying on deck;
Captain Stockton was hurt, but he jumped
to his feet and mounted the gun carriage
to see the damage. There lay Colonel
Gardner with both legs and both arms
gone, Mr.. Maxey with an arm missing,
Mr.. Gilmer with his skull crushed, Mr..
Upshur with one leg blown off, Captain
Kennon with his watch blown clean
through his body, and still a-running, so
they said; the Presidents servant wound
ed so that he died soon after, and ever so
many more hurt with pieces of the gun or
shocked by the conclusion. Senator Ben,
ton was hurt a little and scared a good
deal. and Senator Woodbury's daughter
had her pretty face splashed with the
blood of the injured. One lady's head
dress was singed with a hot piece of the
gun. Senator Phelps hat was blown off
and almost everybody on deck was knock
ed down.
THE SCENE ON DECK.
"The ladies below deck didn't know
what had happened and before they came
up flags and canvas were thrown over the
dead bodies. A Senator said to the Presi-
dent, You've lost two of your Cabinet
and Mr.. Tyler burst right out crying:
When the news spread everybody rushed
on deck. Captain Kennons wife wouldn't
be satisfied until she had lifted the canvas
and looked at her husbands body. Mrs.
Gilmer sat on deck with dry eyes, moan
ing and saying it couldn't be true that her
husband was dead. There was no merry
making on the way back, except that
some of the sailors broke in and drank up
what was left of the champagne. One fel-
low they said tried to steal Kennon's
watch after it had gone through the poor
captains body. /
''After the accident the Princeton looked
as fshe'd been in action. There was blood
and bits of flesh all about the place where
the gun exploded; the bulwarks were car.
ried away; the rigging was tangled and
one of the yards was cut clean through by
a big chunk of the gun, that flew up and
went half through the deck when it came
dawn Tbot piooa ,yaiphod over Cayan ]